A profile of dental school deans, 2021.

OBJECTIVE: In 2021, US dental school deans were surveyed to update and expand ADEA deans' profiles developed in 2002 and 2014. METHODS: The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and the Academy for Advancing Leadership (AAL) collaborated on an updated version of the 2014 dental deans' profile survey. On July 1, 2021, the research project was approved as exempt from IRB oversight. The survey was distributed in electronic format on July 31, 2021, to the deans of the 70 US dental schools, including 3 schools that had not yet held their first year of classes. A total of 60 responses were considered. RESULTS: Administration/management activities continue to consume deans' time the most, followed by fundraising. Managing personnel issues and financial/budget issues, including fundraising, represent the top aspects of the position deans must master and the greatest challenges they face and expect to face for the next 5 years. Deans found these same issues the most surprising aspects of their position, reporting a low level of preparedness to meet those challenges. Most deans advocated for additional leadership programs to supplement the current training received through ADEA and AAL. CONCLUSION: In recent years, gradual changes have occurred in the dental deans' profile, with more women and underrepresented groups assuming this leadership role and the average and median ages of deans increasing. Substantial turnover occurred among deans in recent years; when the 2014 survey was conducted, one respondent was an interim/acting dean. By comparison, seven reported their deanship status as interim/acting in 2021.

Dental education 2026: A scenario exploration.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the following papers is to explore plausible alternative futures for dental education. The COVID-19 pandemic, challenges emerging from racism in the US, and social unrest were the precipitating factors leading to this consideration of academic dentistry in approximately 5 years. METHODS: In 2020-2021, five teams of six individual followed a seven-step process to develop five different scenarios of dental education in 2026. Four of these scenarios are constructed by considering a range of uncertainties associated with economic sustainability and educational innovation. A fifth scenario describes the optimal case for dental education's role should another pandemic occur. RESULTS: Each scenario is presented as a narrative in three parts: scenario highlights (summary), life in the scenario (fictional case), and scenario details (a description of significant factors within the envisioned future of the scenario). As a strategic tool, these scenarios will assist leaders, institutions, and stakeholders to anticipate and prepare for different futures, identify key indicators that a particular future is emerging, and guide decision-making to create the most desirable future in a changing environment. CONCLUSION: Institutions are encouraged to incorporate these scenarios into their strategic and contingency planning efforts and to use them to generate dialogue during faculty development initiatives. This study provides institutions with a process and model they can follow to create scenarios at the institutional level. The final paper in this collection is a guide that provides ideas and instructions for using the scenarios in curricular and extracurricular activities with faculty members and students.

Preparing faculty for the future: AAVMC members' perceptions of professional development needs.

Our purpose in this study was to determine professional development needs of faculty in the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges' (AAVMC's) member institutions, including those needs associated with current and emerging issues and leadership development. The survey asked respondents to report their level of job satisfaction and their perceptions of professional development as they related to support and resources, teaching, research, career planning, and administration. Five hundred and sixty-five individuals from 49 member institutions responded to an online professional development needs survey. We found that job satisfaction was associated with a variety of workplace variables correlated with academic rank, with those of higher academic rank expressing greater levels of satisfaction. Respondents with tenure also expressed generally higher levels of satisfaction. Most of the respondents expressed interest in learning more about topics related to teaching (e.g., effective questioning, giving feedback, principles of learning and motivation), research (e.g., research design, writing grants), career planning (e.g., mentoring, time management), and administration (e.g., fostering innovation, enhancing productivity, improving the work environment). Just more than half of the respondents indicated moderate to high interest in an AAVMC multi-phase leadership training program. The study suggests topics for which AAVMC should provide professional development opportunities either at existing meetings or through new programming. The study also suggests directions for individual institutions as they seek to implement professional development activities at the local level.

Knowledge, skills, and attitudes of veterinary college deans: AAVMC survey of deans in 2010.

The purposes of this Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) study was to develop a profile of deans to understand the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that current deans of schools and colleges of veterinary medicine consider important to job success and to inform the association's leadership development initiatives. Forty-two deans responded to an online leadership program needs survey, which found that knowledge, skills, and abilities related to communication, finance and budget management, negotiation, conflict management, public relations, and fundraising were recommended as the most important areas for fulfilling a deanship. Most respondents speculated that the greatest challenges for their institutions will be in the areas of faculty recruitment and retention and financing veterinary education. Reflecting on their experiences, respondents offered an abundance of advice to future deans, often citing the importance of preparation, communication, and leadership qualities as necessary for a successful and satisfying deanship. More than three-quarters of the respondents indicated moderate to high interest in an AAVMC multi-phase leadership training program to develop administrative leaders. A nearly equal number also indicated support for formal leadership training for current veterinary medical college and school deans. The study suggests leadership development topics that AAVMC could provide at existing meetings or through new programming. The study also suggests directions for individual institutions as they seek to implement leadership development activities at the local level.

Sustaininq an educational environment for change and innovation.

Sustainability refers to the capacity to continue. For the most part, United States dental schools have shown an amazing ability to endure over the past century. Dental schools have continued through fluctuations in application cycles and through persistent faculty shortages. Today, dental schools, particularly public institutions, find themselves faced with draconian budget cuts as states slash funding to higher education. While dental schools face threats, they also enjoy unprecedented opportunities. Scientific advances, particularly in genetics and molecular biology, presage the emergence of new modalities of patient care. The desirability of the dental profession as evidenced by the demand for dental services and the rising income of dentists is at an all time high. Public awareness about the importance of oral health care continues to grow.

Chanqes in dental school curricula, 2003-2009.

This 2009 study of dental school curricula follows a similar one conducted in 2002-2003. Through a Web-based survey, the authors gathered information from dental schools about: (a) trends in curricular change over seven years; (b) changes underway in dental school curricula; (c) significant challenges to curricular innovation; and (d) projected trends in curricular change and innovation. In a significant change from the 2002-2003 study, a high proportion (91%) of the responding schools require community-based patient care by all students, with just over one-half ot them requiring five or more weeks of such experience. Respondents reported that priorities for future curriculum modification included: creating interdisciplinary curricula that are organized around themes, blending the basic and clinical sciences, provision of some elements of core curriculum in an online format, developing new techniques for assessing competency, and increasing collaborations with other health professions schools. Respondents identified training for new faculty members in teaching skills, curriculum design, and assessment methods as the most critical need to support future innovation.

Leadership development for early-career educators: Association report on the ADEA summer program for emerging academic leaders.

There is a continuous challenge in academic health education to retain early career faculty members and staff. Attrition rates in the field can be as high as 42% in the first five years of an individual's career and are principally due to a sense that academic careers do not progress at a satisfactory rate. In response to this ongoing issue, the American Dental Education Association launched the Summer Program for Emerging Academic Leaders (ADEA EL) in 2012. The program has supported 301 participants from over 74 academic programs and private practice institutions. This current study describes data collected from program participants in an effort to conduct a thorough review of the program. In all, pre- and post-program data were assessed from faculty members and staff who have participated in the program over its eight-year history. The outcomes of this mixed-methods study describe an assessment of the curriculum (including changes that have occurred over the tenure of the program), the fit of the intended learning outcomes, reasons why a program such as the ADEA EL is needed, and what can be done to provide additional leadership resources and support for faculty members in dental education. This study represents the first time a longitudinal report of a professional development program designed exclusively for early-career faculty and staff has been described in the literature. Its outcomes are intended to be supportive of institutions and other programs focused on support and retention of early faculty and staff.

The quality of dental faculty work-life: report on the 2007 dental school faculty work environment survey.

This report is the third in a series of articles on the dental school work environment commissioned by the American Dental Education Association's Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education. The report is based on the most extensive research to date on faculty satisfaction in the dental school environment. The purpose of the study was to assess faculty perceptions and recommendations related to work environment, sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and professional development needs. More broadly, the study intends to provide insight into the "change readiness" of dental schools to move forward with curricular improvements and innovations. Findings are based on 1,748 responses from forty-nine U.S. dental schools obtained during the time frame of February to April 2007. The total number of respondents constituted 17 percent of all U.S. dental school faculty. The average response rate per school was thirty-six (21 percent). To elucidate the data in terms of issues related to the quality of faculty work-life based on demographics, the authors compared perceptions of various aspects of the work culture in academic dentistry among faculty with different academic ranks and academic degrees and by other variables such as age and gender, tenure versus non-tenure appointments, and full- versus part-time status. Quantitative and qualitative analyses show that the majority of faculty members described themselves as very satisfied to satisfied with their dental school overall and with their department as a place to work. Tenured associate professors expressed the greatest level of dissatisfaction. Opportunities for and support of professional development emerged as an area requiring substantially more attention from dental schools. The authors of the study suggest that dental school leaders use these findings to assess their individual dental school's work environment and to plan changes as needed.

Does the dental school work environment promote successful academic careers?

A consistent theme in the national dialogue about future directions for the educational arm of dentistry is how best to cultivate a school environment that will be seen as attractive by members of the dental community who desire to serve their profession as teachers and scholars. As a first step toward stimulating broad-based reflection on the working environment within dental schools, the ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation (CCI) conducted a symposium titled "Change, Innovation, and the Quality of Faculty Work-Life" at the 2007 ADEA Annual Session in New Orleans. Aspects of this article are based on the content of this symposium, which explored research on the perceptions and concerns of dental faculty regarding the current academic workplace and provided perspectives of university faculty about university life and career growth. This article reviews the findings from two interview-based qualitative assessments of faculty perceptions of work-life in dental schools and other schools of higher education, presents a preliminary summary of the first national survey of dental school faculty regarding their impressions of the academic work environment, and makes recommendations for enhancing the dental school work environment with an emphasis on those factors that influence career growth. Results from these three studies illustrate faculty perceptions about the promotion and tenure and performance evaluation processes; workload and quality of work-life; and quality of institutional support.

Does faculty development enhance teaching effectiveness?

Academic dentists and members of the practice community have been hearing, for more than a decade, that our educational system is in trouble and that the profession has lost its vision and may be wavering in the achievement of its goals. A core of consistently recommended reforms has framed the discussion of future directions for dental education, but as yet, most schools report little movement toward implementation of these reforms in spite of persistent advocacy. Provision of faculty development related to teaching and assessment strategies is widely perceived to be the essential ingredient in efforts to introduce new curricular approaches and modify the educational environment in academic dentistry. Analyses of the outcomes of efforts to revise health professions curricula have identified the availability and effectiveness of faculty development as a predictor of the success or failure of reform initiatives. This article will address faculty development for purposes of enhancing teaching effectiveness and preparing instructors for potential new roles associated with curriculum changes. Its overall purpose is to provide information and insights about faculty development that may be useful to dental schools in designing professional growth opportunities for their faculty. Seven questions are addressed: 1) What is faculty development? 2) How is faculty development accomplished? 3) Why is faculty development particularly important in dental education? 4) What happens when faculty development does not accompany educational reform? 5) Why are teaching attitudes and behaviors so difficult to change? 6) What outcomes can be expected from faculty development? and 7) What does the available evidence tell us about the design of faculty development programs? Evidence from systematic reviews pertaining to the teaching of evidence-based dentistry, strategies for continuing professional education, and the Best Evidence in Medical Education review of faculty development outcomes are presented to answer this question: does faculty development enhance teaching effectiveness? Characteristics consistently associated with effective faculty development are described.

The dental education environment.

The second in a series of perspectives from the ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education (CCI), this article presents the CCI's view of the dental education environment necessary for effective change. The article states that the CCI's purpose is related to leading and building consensus in the dental community to foster a continuous process of innovative change in the education of general dentists. Principles proposed by CCI to shape the dental education environment are described; these are critical thinking, lifelong learning, humanistic environment, scientific discovery and integration of knowledge, evidence-based oral health care, assessment, faculty development, and the health care team. The article also describes influences external to the academic dental institutions that are important for change and argues that meaningful and long-lasting change must be systemic in nature. The CCI is ADEA's primary means to engage all stakeholders for the purpose of educating lifelong learners to provide evidence-based care to meet the needs of society.

The case for change in dental education.

This article introduces a series of white papers developed by the ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation (CCI) to explore the case for change in dental education. This preamble to the series argues that there is a compelling need for rethinking the approach to dental education in the United States. Three issues facing dental education are explored: 1) the challenging financial environment of higher education, making dental schools very expensive and tuition-intensive for universities to operate and producing high debt levels for students that limit access to education and restrict career choices; 2) the profession's apparent loss of vision for taking care of the oral health needs of all components of society and the resultant potential for marginalization of dentistry as a specialized health care service available only to the affluent; and 3) the nature of dental school education itself, which has been described as convoluted, expensive, and often deeply dissatisfying to its students.

Educational strategies associated with development of problem-solving, critical thinking, and self-directed learning.

This article was developed for the Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education (CCI), established by the American Dental Education Association. CCI was created because numerous organizations within organized dentistry and the educational community have initiated studies or proposed modifications to the process of dental education, often working to achieve positive and desirable goals but without coordination or communication. The fundamental mission of CCI is to serve as a focal meeting place where dental educators and administrators, representatives from organized dentistry, the dental licensure community, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, the ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure, and the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations can meet and coordinate efforts to improve dental education and the nation's oral health. One of the objectives of the CCI is to provide guidance to dental schools related to curriculum design. In pursuit of that objective, this article summarizes the evidence related to this question: What are educational best practices for helping dental students acquire the capacity to function as an entry-level general dentist or to be a better candidate to begin advanced studies? Three issues are addressed, with special emphasis on the third: 1) What constitutes expertise, and when does an individual become an expert? 2) What are the differences between novice and expert thinking? and 3) What educational best practices can help our students acquire mental capacities associated with expert function, including critical thinking and self-directed learning? The purpose of this review is to provide a benchmark that faculty and academic planners can use to assess the degree to which their curricula include learning experiences associated with development of problem-solving, critical thinking, self-directed learning, and other cognitive skills necessary for dental school graduates to ultimately become expert performers as they develop professionally in the years after graduation.

Leadership Development in Dental Education: Report on the ADEA Leadership Institute, 2000-14.

The American Dental Education Association's Leadership Institute (ADEA LI) is the association's flagship development program for those aspiring to leadership in dental and higher education. As with previous studies of the ADEA LI, ADEA will use information from the survey described in this report to improve the ADEA LI curriculum and to guide other leadership development efforts. In 2014-15, ADEA distributed a 50-item online survey via email to all ADEA LI alumni from the classes of 2000 through 2014. The survey included selected-response questions, closed-ended questions, and open-response questions. The survey had an overall response rate of 47% (133/285); response rates to individual items varied. The mean age of the respondents when they participated in the Institute was 48.5 years. Men and women were almost equally represented among the respondents. Nearly half reported their ultimate career goal as department chair, associate dean, or assistant dean, while 20 (15.8%) indicated a goal of becoming dean and 15 (11.8%) aspired to administrative roles higher than dean. Areas the respondents recommended for improvement included more programming in budgeting and financial management, fundraising, and personnel management. Almost 100% of the respondents indicated they would recommend the ADEA LI to others. Overall, the survey respondents confirmed the value of the ADEA LI in their assessment of their fellowship and its subsequent application to their careers. Comparison of elements from this study to previous studies of ADEA LI alumni demonstrates the effectiveness of past changes made to the Institute and the creation of additional ADEA leadership initiatives.

U.S. dental school applicants and enrollees: 2003 and 2004.

Following a 25 percent decline in dental school applicants between 1997 and 2001, from 9,829 to 7,412, the number of applicants over the last three years has increased to 9,433. Based on the rate of applicants to the class entering in the fall of 2005, it is estimated there will be a further 10 to 15 percent increase in the number of applicants, thereby exceeding the 1997 number of applicants. The number of first-time, first-year enrollees rose from 4,039 to 4,457 (10.4 percent) between 1996 and 2004, during which time three new dental schools were established (Nova Southeastern University; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health). Almost 54 percent of the 418 additional first-year positions can be attributed to the three new schools. Slightly over 47 percent of the dental school applicants were enrolled in 2004; 55.4 percent of the applicants in 2003 were enrolled. The number of applicants per first-time, first-year position was 2.12 in 2004 and 1.81 in 2003. It was 2.31 in 1997, the last peak of dental school applicants. (The most recent low was 1.34 in 1989.) The average GPA of the first-time, first-year enrollees continued to increase slightly, standing at 3.35 for science GPA and 3.44 for total GPA. Over the last several years there has been essentially no change in the average academic average and total science DAT scores of the first-time, first-year enrollees, standing at 18.7 and 18.5 respectively. However, the average perceptual ability score has declined slightly, from 18.1 to 17.3. Women were 43.9 percent of the applicants and 42.4 percent of the first-time, first-year enrollees in 2004. Five years ago, women were 38.6 percent of the applicants and 36.5 percent of the first-time, first-year enrollees. Underrepresented minorities comprised 12.4 percent of the applicants and 11.6 percent of the first-time, first-year enrollees in 2004. These percentages are little changed from those reported since 2001.

Dental school vacant budgeted faculty positions: academic year 2003-04.

The total number of vacant budgeted positions (296) fell by eleven positions between 2002-03 and 2003-04. However, the reported number of lost positions increased from thirty-nine to 147. The average number of vacancies per school was 5.3. The average number of vacancies reported to be usual and normal at any one time was 3.6 per school, the same as last year. Forty-three percent of the vacancies had been vacant less than seven months, a decline from 55 percent in 2002-03, indicating an increase in the number of positions vacant longer than six months. Meeting position requirements was the most frequently reported factor cited as influencing the ability to fill a position. This is a change from recent previous years when the most influencing factors were salary/budget limitations and lack of response to position announcements. While there was no indication expressed in the survey that vacancies were adversely affecting the quality of dental education, almost 50 percent of the deans reported faculty recruitment and retention was a problem at their school, and over 55 percent indicated that they anticipated it would become more difficult over the next five years to fill vacated positions. Faculty recruitment, development, and retention remain priority issues in meeting the teaching, research, patient care, and administrative needs of the dental education community.

A Profile of Dental School Deans, 2014.

To develop a profile of current U.S. dental school deans and report their perceptions, challenges, and opportunities that should be addressed in the leadership development programs of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), data were gathered using a web-based survey organized into seven content areas. In 2014, the deans of all accredited dental schools in the U.S. including Puerto Rico were invited to participate in the survey. The response rate was 86% (56/65). A majority of the deans were male (N=44; 79%) and white/non-Hispanic (N=49; 88%); all reporting degrees held a DDS/DMD (N=54; 100%). Just over half were between the ages of 46 and 55 (N=31; 55%) when they first became a dean. The mean age of these deans was 61.4 years, with a range of 48-72. The respondents reported that school administration/management, fundraising, students, the academic environment, leadership development, and faculty had a high level of influence on their job satisfaction. Communication, conflict resolution, and finance were reported as the most important knowledge areas. A majority reported being better prepared for clinical education and student relations than fundraising and research when they took their positions. They responded that finances and faculty recruitment and retention were their greatest challenges as a dean. Among these respondents, 98% (N=55) reported being satisfied to very satisfied with their job overall. The survey results will inform ADEA's leadership development programs for the next five to seven years.

ADEA/AAL Institute for Allied Health Educators: Program Evaluation.

Revised accreditation standards for dental and dental hygiene education programs have increased emphasis on faculty development that can improve teaching and learning, foster curricular change including use of teaching and learning technologies, and enhance retention and satisfaction of faculty. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) established the Institute for Allied Health Educators (IAHE) in 2007 to address faculty development needs for allied dental and allied health educators. In 2009, it was transitioned to an online program, which resulted in increased enrollment and diversity of participants. After seven years, a comprehensive program evaluation was warranted. The authors developed an online questionnaire based on Kirkpatrick's four-level model of training evaluation; for this study, levels one (satisfaction), two (knowledge and skill acquisition), and three (behavior change) were examined. Of the 400 program participants invited to take part in the study, a 38% response rate was achieved, with the majority indicating full-time faculty status. Nearly all (95-97%) of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed the program contributed to their teaching effectiveness, and 88-96% agreed or strongly agreed it enhanced their knowledge of educational concepts and strategies. In addition, 83% agreed or strongly agreed the program helped them develop new skills and confidence with technology, with 69% agreeing or strongly agreeing that it helped them incorporate technology into their own educational setting. Nearly 90% were highly positive or positive in their overall assessment of the program; 95% indicated they would recommend it to a colleague; and 80% agreed or strongly agreed they had discussed what they learned with faculty colleagues at their home institutions who had not attended the program. Positive findings from this evaluation provide evidence that the IAHE has been able to meet its goals.

Applicant analysis: 2000 entering class.

There were 7,770 applicants to the entering dental school class of 2000. This is almost 14 percent less than the number of applicants to the entering class of 1999. Since the peak of dental school applicants in 1997 (at 9,829), the number has declined 21 percent. (This is most similar to the decline that has occurred in medical school applicants since their peak of applicants in 1996, at 46,968.) Almost 55 percent of the applicants to dental school were enrolled in 2000. Dental schools reported 4,234 first-time, first-year enrollees in 2000. This is an increase of 25 enrollees over the number reported in 1999. Since 1989, when dental school enrollment once again began to increase, total first-year dental school enrollment has increased 8.7 percent. The number of applicants per first-time, first-year position was 1.84 in 2000. It was 2.14 in 1999. (The most recent low was 1.34 in 1989.) The GPA and DAT scores of the first-time, first-year enrollees in 2000 were all either equal to or slightly higher than they were in 1999. Women were approximately 40 percent of the applicants and first-time, first-year enrollees in 2000, up slightly from 1999. Underrepresented minorities comprised slightly over 12 percent of the applicants and 10.6 percent of the first-time, first-year enrollees, also up slightly from 1999.

Applicant analysis: 2001 entering class.

There were 7,412 applicants to the entering dental school class of 2001. This is 4.6 percent less than the number of applicants to the entering class of 2000. Since the peak of dental school applicants in 1997 (at 9,829), the number of applicants has declined 24.6 percent. (This decline is most similar to the 25.8 percent decline that has occurred in medical school applicants since their peak of applicants in 1996, at 46,968.) With the decline in applicants and a slight increase in first-time, first-year enrollees, 57.6 percent of the dental school applicants were enrolled in 2001. This is up from 54.5 percent in 2000. Dental schools reported 4,267 first-time, first-year enrollees in 2001. This is an increase of thirty-three first-time, first-year enrollees over the number reported in 2000 and only an increase of fifty-eight over the last two years. Since 1989, when dental school enrollment once again began to increase, the number of first-time, first-year enrollees has increased 14.9 percent. (Total first-year enrollment, which includes first-time enrollees and repeat students, has increased 10.8 percent since 1989.) The number of applicants per first-time, first-year positions was 1.74 in 2001. It was 2.31 in 1997. (The most recent low was 1.34 in 1989.) The average of the GPA and DAT scores of the first-time, first-year enrollees in 2001 were all slightly higher than they were in 2000. Women were approximately 42 percent of the applicants and first-time, first-year enrollees in 2001, up slightly from 2000. Underrepresented minorities comprised over 12.6 percent of the applicants and 11.9 percent of the first-time, first-year enrollees, also up slightly from 2000.